Run For Your Life
by JPsmiles
Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Run For Your Life  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.  
>Warnings: One of the first things I wrote a couple of years back...that alone is a warning. It's not the most believable plot, but I spend lots of time at the gym and was doing tons of treadmill running at the time…thus this was born during some of my more awful workouts to distract myself…ha, ha!<p>

'Gotta…keep…running", "gotta…keep…running.' It had become his mantra. But then there was darkness and he came to complete halt crashing into the console in front of him. Flying backwards he landed on the cold, hard concrete floor with a sickening thud.

2 Weeks Earlier

"You gotta be kiddin' Faceman" B.A. chuckled. "You really joinin' a gym?"

"Yeah, what for Facey? You trying to get big and mean like B.A. over there?" Murdock questioned pointing at the larger man and ducking as B.A. threw a mock punch in his direction.

"Knowing Face" added Hannibal, "there has got to be a woman involved. So what's the story Lieutenant?"

Face put on his best hurt expression and said "Couldn't it just be possible that I am trying to get into better shape so I can more of an asset to the team?"

His three friends responded with a simultaneous "no" and Face knew that it was time to come clean. "Her name is Lola".

"She was a showgirl…with yellow flowers in her hair and a dress cut down to there," Murdock sang prancing about the room.

"Shut-up fool…you ain't no Barry Manilow." B.A. chided.

"Lola is a lady I met last week while scamming my new place…which you all seem to be making yourselves at home in." Face shot a dirty look at Hannibal's feet on the coffee table. "She teaches a Boot Camp class at Jake's Gym and invited me to try it out…Lola in a leotard is something I'm not about to miss!"

"Neither are we." Hannibal said removing his feet from the table. "Sign us up Face".

Face placed hi s hands on his hips and protested, "Now just wait a minute. What is this 'we' stuff? No way am I going to join a gym with The Three Stooges."

"Can I be Curly? Can I, can I, can I?" pleaded Murdock.

"C'mon Face…this could be fun. Plus, I could use a good sweat." smiled Hannibal.

"And I could use a good laugh," mumbled B. A. under his breath.

"There goes my chance with Lola," sighed Face as he threw his hands up in the air and slumped down onto the couch in exasperation.

1 Week Later

'I can't believe I let them talk me into this,' thought Face as he walked out of the locker room with Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock in tow.

"Now listen" lectured Face as they approached the group exercise class where Lola's Boot Camp would take place. "You three stay away from me in there. Give me some space to work my magic."

Hannibal and Murdock rolled their eyes as B.A. snarled, "I ain't about to take no exercise class…that's stuff's for girls."

"Are you calling me a girl?" Face asked stepping toward B.A.

"If the leg warmers fit…" B.A. chuckled stepping even closer.

Hannibal stepped between the two men and added "We're just here to observe…we'll leave the boot camping up to you, Face. We'll watch Lola…I mean you…through the window". Hannibal turned and started walking over to the seating area but turned back and added with a grin, "Have fun, Lieutenant…try not to hurt yourself in there."

Face opened the door to the fitness studio and could not help but smile when he noticed all the beautiful ladies warming up. He was beginning to like his chances even if things didn't work out between him and Lola.

There Lola stood at the front of the room looking like a goddess. She spotted Face and gave him a smile and a small wave as she turned around to start the music. 'This is going to be cake, he thought to himself. "After all, this is a Boot Camp class and I've been through the real thing. How hard could it be?"

An hour later, one very sweaty Faceman came walking out the door hand-in-hand with Lola.

"I must say that I am very impressed Temp...most first timers only make it through some of the class. I like a man that can hold his own. I look forward to seeing you next time," Lola said wiping a strand of Face's hair out of his eyes.

"You bet I'll be at your next class. That way we can work up an appetite for dinner," said Face flashing her one of his winning smiles.

Lola laughed and said, "It's a date. I better get back in there and clean my stuff up…see you soon."

Face waited until she went back into the fitness studio and then he slowly walked over to where his three friends sat grinning ear to ear. "I think I'm gonna be sick," groaned Face as he slid into a seat next to B.A.

B.A. leaned away from his exhausted friend and said, "Not so close Faceman…you stink!"

"I've gotta hand it to you Face. You really held your own in there," praised Hannibal.

"He just conned Lola into thinking he was in shape," added Murdock. "She should see him now!"

Face just groaned and wondered how he was going to make it to the locker room. He had just used muscles that no man was supposed to use. And to make matters worse, he had agreed to do it again. 'Why do I always do this to myself?'


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Run For Your Life  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.  
>Warnings: One of the first things I wrote a couple of years back...that alone is a warning. It's not the most believable plot, but I spend lots of time at the gym and was doing tons of treadmill running at the time…thus this was born during some of my more awful workouts to distract myself…ha, ha!<p>

Extra warning: This is where it gets a bit farfetched…you have been warned! 

Face, Hannibal and B.A. had been to Jake's Gym three times during the course of the week. Murdock had gone back to the VA hospital promising to "walk Billy" every day to get some extra exercise. B.A pumped iron, Hannibal took a liking to the elliptical machine while Face did a little bit of everything as long as there were ladies around.

When it came time for Lola's next class Face knew it wasn't going to be pretty. But Lola _was_ pretty and you know what they say - no pain, no gain. And his dinner plans with Lola were going to be worth a little pain.

As Face entered the fitness studio his eyes immediately went to three muscle bound guys standing in the back of the room. His trouble radar started to go off big time. It just didn't feel right. These guys looked like they like belonged on the cover of Muscle Magazine. 'They're even bigger than B.A.,' Face groaned inwardly.

To make matters worse, they just stood there the whole class watching. This was not exactly the audience Face was hoping for. He would almost rather have Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock there mocking him than have these three goons gawking. Plus they seemed to have their eyes fixated on a rack of medicine balls…definitely strange behavior.

As the class ended the three quietly walked over to the rack and stood in front of it protectively forming a barrier. It was at that moment that Face decided he had to figure out what exactly was going on. This also meant that he would probably have to cancel his plans with Lola for the evening. 'Damn!'

B.A. and Hannibal saw Face exiting the boot camp class and from the look on his face they knew that something was up.

"Guys, I think we have a problem," he said.

B.A. was about to joke about Face's problem being that he left the room without a girl on his arm, but decided against it when he noticed the serious look on his Face.

"What's up kid?" asked Hannibal instinctively reaching for a cigar that wasn't there. 'Damn health club!'

Face told his friends what he observed and was relieved to find that they too thought the behavior was odd and worth checking out.

Hannibal thought a second, then said "Face, you and B.A. keep an eye on those muscle heads. Follow them, but keep your distance. I'll call Murdock and see if he can figure a way to spring himself…I have a feeling we may need some back-up."

It was a few minutes later before one of the three left the fitness studio and headed for the front desk. Less than a minute after that the fire alarm sounded and a voice came over the loudspeaker telling everybody to leave the building.

"Coincidence?" asked B.A.

"I think not" replied Face.

They moved toward the stairwell where they met up with Hannibal. The three directed traffic and helped usher the other patrons out of the building. When the coast was clear they pressed themselves against the wall and waited. Face peeked through the door window when he heard voices approaching the door.

"Here they come," he whispered. "And they have the medicine ball rack with them."

"Quick, up the stairs a flight," ordered Hannibal hoping they decided to go down and not up. One of the goons opened the door as the other two grunted their way through with the heavy equipment. Unfortunately, B.A. chose that time to let out a gold-rattling sneeze.

"Of all times, B.A." hissed Face.

"Shut-up fool…I tried to hold it in," B.A. snarled back.

"What was that? Who's there?" yelled the man holding the door. He seemed to be the head of the operation judging from the way the other two looked at him before taking any action. He pulled out a gun and after placing the medicine ball rack on the ground they followed suit slowly moving up the stairs.

Hannibal pointed upward indicating that they should head up to the roof…it might be their only way out. Three against three normally wouldn't be too bad, but in this case they were not only unarmed, they were grossly out muscled even with B.A. on their side.

Face reached the door first and groaned as he realized it was locked.

"Can you pick it?" asked B.A.

"Sure, if I had 5 minutes and my tools. Unfortunately, the tools wouldn't fit in my shorts and it looks like we are out of time," Face said pointing to the three very angry figures pointing guns in their directions.

"Put your hands in the air and turn around real slow like," growled the leader.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? My friend over here just finished a boot camp class and he's pretty ripe," Hannibal quipped.

Face shot Hannibal a look, but then decided to play along, "If I knew you were going to hold us hostage, I would have cleaned up for the occasion."

"Shut up and move! Joey, you stay with the goods. Mikey, you come with me…we're gonna bring these bozos down to the basement."

Once down the stairs, Hannibal, Face and B.A. were directed to a square, windowless room with concrete walls and floor. The sole object in the room was a treadmill. Mikey made the mistake of shoving B.A. as he entered the room.

"Watch it fool…nobody pushes B.A. Baracus and lives to talk about it!"

Mikey laughed and said, "Hey Jimmy…check out the balls on this guy. If you haven't noticed, we are the ones pointing the guns at you. And what does the B.A. stand for anyway?"

Jimmy cut him off and said, "Pretty soon it will stand for 'Barely Alive'. He then threw some handcuffs at his partner and said, "Cuff them to the wall. I'm gonna go up and help Joey. Once you're done lock the door and join us. I don't know who you three are, but you made a big mistake butting in to our business...and soon we're gonna make you pay. And let me assure you that it isn't going to be pleasant."

Once they were alone, Face said, "So what's the plan Colonel?"

"The plan is to wait for Murdock to come find us", Hannibal replied as he shifted his body position trying to get more comfortable on the hard concrete floor.

"Murdock!" exclaimed B.A. "That crazy fool couldn't find his hat last week and it was on his head…how he gonna find us?"

"Have faith, Sergeant. In the meantime we can try to figure out what is so special about those…um…what did you call them Face?"

"Medicine Balls," answered Face. "And did you hear the head honcho Jimmy refer to them as 'goods'? My guess is that there is something inside of them."

"Drugs?" offered B.A. as he pulled on his handcuffs in an attempt to pull the bar they were cuffed to away from the wall. "This bar ain't gonna budge!"

"Could be drugs. It wouldn't be the strangest place we've seen drugs hidden. Remember Lin's bread for example?" Before Hannibal could continue, the door opened and in walked Jimmy, Joey and Mikey.

"Well gentlemen, it seems as if we have some time to kill. So, let the games begin!" Jimmy exclaimed.

The tone of his voice sent shivers down Face's spine. "Why do I have a feeling that this game is going to involve me somehow?"

His fears were confirmed a minute later when Jimmy pointed at him and said, "hey Mikey, uncuff pretty boy over here. Since he's already sweaty, we might as well have some fun with him. The name of this game is 'Run For Your Life'."

Face glanced over at the treadmill and said, "Let me guess…I'm going to be the one running for our lives…and on this thing."

"Bingo," said Jimmy. "It's really quite simple you see. You run and run and run. However, if you stop running, we kill your friends. I sure hope your workouts have been doing you some good…hop on pretty boy!"

Face got on the treadmill and watched as the one called Mikey set it for 7.0 miles/hour and then he was off and running. "We'll be right next door doing a little business, so don't get any funny ideas…we will hear if you stop. Let's go boys." As an afterthought on the way out of the room he added, "Oh, and this basement is soundproof and all the entrances are locked, so yelling would do you no good."

"Faceman…don't you stop runnin'…you hear?" B.A. encouraged.

"Yeah Face…just keep putting one foot in front of the other," added Hannibal.

And that's just what Face did. To be honest, the first hour didn't seem too bad at all…in fact Face felt pretty good. He was even able to joke with Hannibal and B.A. about how they were going to totally owe him for this big time and that this might even get him out of Hannibal's next training session.

Once the hour went by, Joey came back in and said, "time for us to make a little adjustment." He walked over to the treadmill and increased the speed to 8.0 miles/hour. "Keep running man or your friends will pay the price," he cackled and then left the room.

"Oh man…now this is gonna hurt!" thought Face as he could feel the sudden increase in speed. "I sure could use some music," he joked to his friends a bit out of breath.

"We could always sing?"

B.A. couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Colonel, I don't think so, man…we don't want to make Face stop running on purpose just to shut us up!"

All kidding aside, both men were getting a little worried about Face. While it was true that he was in better shape than most, how long would he be able to keep running? And, even if Murdock could find them, how would he be able to take out the three muscle men by himself?

Sixty minutes later, Jimmy came back into the room and said, "It's time to change up the rules a bit. I must give you credit…I didn't think you could last two hours." Little did he know that compared to the torture he survived in Vietnam, this was a walk in the park. Face was mentally stronger than most and incredibly afraid of showing signs of weakness. "From this point on we increase the speed every 15 minutes…this should speed the process along." And with that he turned the machine up to an 8.5 and exited the room.

It was then that Face knew he had to get in the zone. He had to tune everything out and just focus on the task at hand. Keep running and keep breathing.

B.A. turned to Hannibal and whispered, "We in trouble man…don't know how much longer Face can keep this up."

Hannibal could only nod in agreement. But if it had to be one of them running for their lives, he was glad it was Face. All of the members of the team were strong, but none as stubborn as his second in command. 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Run For Your Life  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.  
>Warnings: One of the first things I wrote a couple of years back...that alone is a warning. It's not the most believable plot, but I spend lots of time at the gym and was doing tons of treadmill running at the time…thus this was born during some of my more awful workouts to distract myself…ha, ha!<p>

The VA Hospital

Murdock could not believe how easily he convinced Nurse Nancy that he was having a seizure. As she went running out of the room to get help, that's when he made his mad dash into the hall and right down the nearest flight of steps. Murdock knew that Nurse Nancy was new and probably was not aware of his past history of escape. Therefore, she made the mistake of turning her back on him just long enough for him to get free.

Once outside, Murdock jumped into the driver's seat of the nearest ambulance fully prepared to hot wire it as B.A. had taught him.

"This must be my lucky day," he said to himself as he noticed the keys in the ignition.

Ten minutes later he drove past the parking lot of Jake's Gym. Deciding that parking an ambulance in the lot might draw some unwanted attention, he pulled off onto a side street and parked the vehicle there.

It was times like these that Murdock wished he were Face with one of his scams, or Hannibal with a plan, or B.A. with his…well with his B.A.-ness.

All Hannibal had told him was that three very large men were guarding medicine balls in Face's boot camp class and that he, Face and B.A. were going to follow them. This left Murdock with three questions: Who were the three men? Where were his friends? And what the heck was a medicine ball?

His decided that his first step was to find Lola and see what if anything she knew about the situation.

The Basement

Face was now running at 9.0 Miles/hour and he was hurting badly. He was starting to feel each and every one of his war wounds ache with a vengeance. There was the shrapnel he took in his left calf, the gunshot to his right thigh, his broken left ankle, and both busted knees. These past injuries never really bothered him and at least not all at once. But now, his legs were on fire and he wasn't sure how much longer that would be able to stand all the impact from the running.

He heard B.A. say at one point "Run, Faceman, Run" reminding him of the movie Forrest Gump. He would have laughed if he wasn't so tired and if he didn't think it would screw up his breathing. Whatever happened to 'runner's high'?... because he sure as heck wasn't experiencing it.

Hannibal looked at Face running on the treadmill and could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He turned his head away from B.A because he didn't want him to see this show of emotion. As leader of this team, he made a point of keeping his emotions in check. He liked to think that confidence was contagious…if he looked shaken his team would sense it and follow suit. He wasn't a very religious man, but he sent out a silent prayer that Murdock would get there soon. As if on cue, Hannibal heard a tapping noise coming from up above.

B.A. heard it too and looking up he saw Murdock waving through a grate in the wall. "Crazy fool actually found us," he said with a rare smile. Truth is that he while he knew Murdock was a bit crazy, he knew he was no fool.

Hannibal gave Murdock a thumbs up and then help up a finger indicating for him to stay put and not move. Fifteen minutes were almost up and one of the meatheads would be on their way in to increase Face's speed. Luckily, the treadmill was pretty loud, especially now that it was at such a high speed. Also in their favor was that the goons thus far would leave the room immediately after turning up the machine. If the same pattern continued, this would give the team 15 minutes to formulate a plan. 

Face's heart was pounding; his legs on fire; sweat was pouring down his face and into his eyes and now Joey was turning the speed up to 9.5. He was in such agony that he didn't even realize that Murdock was right above him.

"Oh man…not feeling too hot are ya pal? I would tell you to start saying good-bye to your friends now, but it doesn't look like you are up to talking," laughed Joey on his way out of the room.

Once the coast was clear, Hannibal motioned for Murdock to get down. "Face, Murdock is here…you just hang in there a little longer" he said, not sure if Face would even be able to hear him.

"Yeah, lil' brother," added B.A. "you kin do it…we know you can".

Murdock loosened the grate and quietly slid himself down into the room. Saying low he made his way over to where Hannibal and B.A. were sitting on the ground.

"Lola told me that she thought they might have brought you guys down here…said it was off limits and always locked. What can I do Colonel?" Murdock asked.

"See if you can get this bar off the wall, then B.A. and I can slide ourselves out. We have to move quickly…I don't think Face can take much more of this," answered Hannibal looking over anxiously at his friend struggling to keep up with the treadmill.

Murdock pulled out a small tool kit that Face had once given him and with a smile said, "I thought these might come in handy…Face told me I should never leave home without them. You never know when you are gonna have to break into somewhere or something."

"We need a distraction Murdock. They have weapons and we don't, so we need to use the element of surprise," said Hannibal. "Once we're undone, B.A. will help you back up into the duct work. We don't have much time until they come back again."

With that the bar was off the wall and Hannibal and B.A. slid the cuffs out and were freed. B.A. held his hands out for Murdock to step on and boosted the pilot back into the wall where he came from. He walked over to Face and said, "Whatever happens, I'm real proud of you man." He then moved back to the wall and joined Hannibal in holding the bar behind them to make it look like it was still in place.

"Well, well, well pretty boy it looks like you have made it to the next level," said Jimmy this time followed by his two men. "Mickey, turn this baby up to a 10…and let's add some incline. We don't have much time before we will be concluding our business."

"And what would that business be?" questioned Hannibal. "The curiosity is killing me."

"I see no harm in telling you since you won't be around for much longer. It really is quite brilliant if I do say so myself. Medicine balls filled with cocaine…I mean who would ever think to look there? Soon they'll be packed into a truck and shipped away and nobody will be the wiser." Jimmy boasted. "I think we'll stay in here now that we are coming to the end of our little game. As a reward for playing so well, we will let your friend decide which one of you dies first."

Time seemed to stand still and so did everybody else in the room, with the exception of Face who continued his grueling run for survival. His entire body felt like it was on fire. His vision had become blurry with a mixture of sweat and probably some tears. But he wasn't giving up yet…they had survived too much in his life to go out this way.

"Gotta…keep…running", "gotta…keep…running." It had become his mantra. But then suddenly there was darkness and he came to complete halt crashing into the console in front of him. Flying backwards he landed on the cold, hard concrete floor with a sickening thud.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Run For Your Life  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.  
>Warnings: One of the first things I wrote a couple of years back...that alone is a warning. It's not the most believable plot, but I spend lots of time at the gym and was doing tons of treadmill running at the time…thus this was born during some of my more awful workouts to distract myself…ha, ha!<p>

"What the hell?" shouted a stunned Jimmy.

Hannibal and B.A. lunged forward each grabbing one of the goons around the ankles and dragging them to the ground. Murdock reappeared from above and jumped on Jimmy's back hitting him in the head with a weight plate he must have grabbed from the fitness studio.

In spite of their massive size, it was relatively easy to knock all three out and tie them up. They were big, but the A-Team had years of training on their side. Plus, the rage they felt for the pain Face went through made up for the strength differences.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," quipped Hannibal as he ran over to Face who was now lying motionlessly on the floor. He felt for a pulse and was relieved to find it beating strong, but too fast for his liking…a sure sign of dehydration.

"B.A. give me a hand with Face. Let's get out of here…lock this scum in the room and we can alert the authorities later." B.A. scooped up the sweat-soaked lieutenant with ease and the four men made their way up the stairs and out a back door. B.A. carefully laid Face down on the floor of the van and Hannibal placed a towel under his head. "Let's go B.A.," he said.

"I parked the V.A. ambulance I 'borrowed' a few blocks down," Murdock said making quotation marks with his hands as he said the word borrowed. "Maybe there are some supplies in there we can use for Face?"

"I don't know guys," B.A. piped in, "but I think Faceman need to see a doctor or somethin'. I mean, he hasn't even stirred at all and he's lookin' mighty pale."

"Not to mention how hard he went flying off that treadmill when I shut the electricity down," added Murdock.

"Too risky…the cops will be crawling all over this place and once they get those idiots' version of the story, they might try to track us down at a hospital for more information. There's the ambulance over there. Pull over B.A….let's see if getting some I.V. fluids into Face helps at all," Hannibal said while taking hold of Face's wrist for another pulse check. Still way too fast and his skin felt cold and clammy…probably a combination of heat exhaustion and shock. The fluids would help with that, but Hannibal just hoped that the younger man had not sustained any other injuries from the running or falling from the treadmill.

Murdock and B.A. boarded the ambulance and stocked up anything they thought they might need. They decided to leave the ambulance where it was and for Murdock to stay with the team a little longer…as if they could keep Murdock away if they tried.

Murdock started making his way back to the van when he noticed that B.A. was lagging behind. "You alright big guy?" he asked.

B.A. stood still for a moment and then almost shook himself back to reality saying, "Um yeah…fine…just thinkin'."

"About Face?" Murdock probed, relishing this brief moment of introspection from the man.

"Yeah…the look in his eyes as he was runnin'…haven't see that look since Nam." That brief moment was all Murdock was going to get as B.A. grabbed up his supplies and headed back to the van.

Face's Apartment

Once inside Face's newly acquired lavish apartment, B.A. carried the limp Face over to the bed while Hannibal got to work on the I.V. It had been quite some time since he had to administer one of these and he was a bit nervous about doing it right.

Sensing the Colonel's apprehension, B.A. encouraged, "It's like ridin' a bike Hannibal…it'll come back to you as you doin' it."

Hannibal smiled his thanks at B.A. and was relieved to find that the sergeant was right.

"Okay guys," Hannibal began, "I don't want Face alone at any point of time. There's no telling what condition he's going to wake up in. We'll take turns watching over him, but if he doesn't come around by tomorrow morning we're going to have to get him some help…risky as it may be. I'll take first watch…you two go and get some food."

"Right Hannibal," said Murdock grabbing B.A. by the arm. "C'mon you big galoot…I'll whip you up a Murdock special."

"I'm so hungry I'll eat anything your fool-self puts in front of me," B.A. responded on the way out the door.

Hannibal's watch was uneventful. The older man sat there for two hours watching Face breathe and willing him to show some other sign of life. When Murdock came to relieve him, Hannibal didn't want to leave. He wanted to be there when Face woke up. However, he was starting to feel the effects of the long day and could really use a shower. Plus, Murdock looked anxious to spend some time with his close friend and Hannibal didn't want to deny him of the time.

Murdock spent his watch talking. Talking to Face…talking to himself…just talking. Murdock knew that when he stopped talking, he started thinking and he didn't want to think right now. So he talked until B.A. came in and said in what could almost be considered a sympathetic tone for the big man, "My turn…you can stop your jibber-jabbering now."

It was about half-way through B.A.'s watch that Face groaned causing B.A. to just about fall off his chair. "Face…Face can you hear me man?" he asked.

Face groaned again and then mumbled something that B.A. couldn't quite understand.

He leaned in closer and said, "What Face…whatcha tryin' to say?"

Face's eyes remained closed but he turned his head in the direction of B.A. and whispered in a raspy voice, "Got Ben Gay?"

B.A. laughed and said, "Just take it easy, Faceman. I'm gonna go get Hannibal and Murdock…they gonna be real happy to see you."

Face nodded his head slightly and let out a small sigh. He was tired…more tired than he could ever remember feeling before. He was too tired to even open his eyes. It was a weird kind of feeling…he almost felt as if he were still running on the treadmill. Kind of like after you have been in the ocean and you still feel like you are jumping the waves for a while after. He wasn't in much pain…yet…but he knew that would come. Right now, everything just felt heavy…too heavy to try to move. So he didn't try…he just laid still and waited for his friends to come back.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Run For Your Life  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: The guys join a gym and meet up with some trouble.  
>Warnings: One of the first things I wrote a couple of years back...that alone is a warning. It's not the most believable plot, but I spend lots of time at the gym and was doing tons of treadmill running at the time…thus this was born during some of my more awful workouts to distract myself…ha, ha!<p>

He didn't have to wait long for Murdock to come flying in the room followed by Hannibal and B.A.

"Facey! Have we been worried about you," said Murdock nearly jumping on Face's bed.

"Easy does it, Murdock." Hannibal reached out and gently pulled Murdock back before he landed on Face's bed.

"How ya feeling, kid?" Hannibal asked gently taking Face's hand so he could do another pulse check.

Face couldn't help but tense up as Hannibal grabbed his hand...a reflex he never was able to control. His eyes fluttered open and he relaxed as he saw his colonel standing over him.

"Sorry 'bout that…I didn't mean to startle you…your pulse is finally getting back to normal. So how are you feeling?" He was happy to see the Lieutenant's eyes open but was a bit disappointed that they drifted shut so quickly.

"Tired," Face mumbled. "Sorry…." he began but stopped as if it were too much effort to keep talking.

"Sorry for what, Faceman?" questioned B.A. The guy just ran a marathon of torture and he was apologizing?

"Sorry for smelling so bad," Face continued as a slight smile appeared on his face.

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. laughed. At least Face still had his sense of humor which meant he was heading in the right direction.

Face slept for most of the day. He would stir slightly when Hannibal changed his I.V. or when Murdock and B.A. would start fighting in the other room, but then he would drift right back off. They no longer felt as if they had to keep constant watch over their sleepy friend, but Hannibal would peak in a couple times an hour just to make sure he was okay.

Face could feel the fog start to lift later that night. He opened his eyes and looked around the room trying to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. All the fluids Hannibal had been pumping into him must have done their job, for now Face really needed to go…and in a hurry. Not wanting to disturb one of the guys, he decided to make a go at it himself.

"Well here goes nothing," he said to himself as he slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Well now that wasn't too bad...let's see if these legs of mine still work."

Face swung his legs off the side of the bed and gasped at how sore he was…this was going to be harder than he thought. But nature was calling, and he needed to answer that call and preferably not here on the bed. As he stepped onto the floor shooting pains went through is legs and he fell onto the floor in a heap.

"Well…they say you've gotta crawl before you can walk," Face murmured, and that was exactly what he started to do. Using his arms he basically pulled himself to the adjoining master bathroom dragging his legs behind him.

By the time he reached the bathroom he was breathing hard and sweat was running down his face. Grabbing onto the sink he pulled himself up to a standing position, but unfortunately his legs just weren't having it. His arms were the only thing keeping him upright and even they were starting to feel tired.

The room began to spin and once again Face found himself on the floor. This time, however, he decided to stay there. The dizziness was getting progressively worse and he felt as if he were on a merry-go-round on speed. Laying his head down on the cool tile floor he closed his eyes and tried taking some deep breaths to ease the nausea building up inside.

"Face?" he heard Hannibal calling from the other room.

"In here," he tried to answer back, but he had to settle for the groan that came out instead.

"Hey kid…what do you think you're doing?" Hannibal asked when he got to the bathroom and saw Face laying on the floor. "You okay?" he gently asked kneeling down next to the fallen man.

"I really have to go," Face whined, embarrassed that at his age he needed help to relieve himself. Without a word, Hannibal helped his friend up and supported him while he did his business and then just about carried him back to the bed where Murdock and B.A. sat waiting.

"Thanks Colonel," Face grimaced as he tried to get comfortable, not even noticing that the other guys had entered the room.

"You was taking a long time in here Hannibal…we wanted to make sure he was okay," B.A. said.

"Yeah…how's he doing Hannibal," asked Murdock pointing to an exhausted looking Face.

"He'll be okay…," Hannibal started.

"Eh-hmm," Face cleared his throat interrupting his colonel. "He is right here and can answer for himself.

"Okay then," Hannibal said. "I want the truth, Face…tell me what hurts…and no holding back."

"You sure you want the whole list…it might take a while," Face tried to joke, but the pained look on his face gave him away.

"Out with it, Lieutenant," Hannibal ordered.

"Okay…okay. It feels like I pulled every muscle from my waist down. I have a pretty bad headache and quite a goose egg on the back of my head. I'm really dizzy…and a bit nauseous…and I still need to take a shower." Face smiled and added, "other than that I feel just peachy."

Hannibal reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar…this was his normal habit when he wanted to think. He was just about to light it up when he noticed how green Face was starting to look. Adding cigar smoke would probably not be a good idea.

"You probably hit your head when you flew off of that treadmill. A concussion could explain why you were out cold for so long and why you are so dizzy. I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner. As for your legs, you just need to give them some time. Until then Face, I don't want you to get out of that bed unless one of us is with you. Is that clear?"

"But Hannibal…" Face whined. If there was one thing Face hated, it was feeling vulnerable and dependent upon somebody.

"But nothing. That's an order, Lieutenant." Hannibal said sternly while placing his hand on Face's shoulder in a show of compassion.

"Yes sir," Face sighed. "Just what I always wanted…you three playing nurse with me. I guess I'll survive…as long as there are no sponge baths involved."

"Ain't got nothin' to worry about there, man," B.A. quickly interjected.

"Maybe we can call Lola over for that," Murdock winked.

"That reminds me…I think I'm quitting the gym," Face yawned as the tiredness overcame him and his eyes started to shut again. "Too much exercise can kill a guy. We should stick with fist fights, grenades and guns," he mumbled, "much safer."

The End


End file.
